Liquid phase methanol process development unit: installation, operation, and support studies. Technical progress report No. 9, 1 October-31 December 1983

Technical Report · Fri Jan 20 04:00:00 EST 1984

OSTI ID:5403329

At Chem Systems, the Fairfield Lab PDU completed a 510-hour run in the ebullated mode with catalyst candidate EPJ-25L, the alternate catalyst candidate for LaPorte. Balanced gas feed was run for the first 60 hours and CO-rich gas for the remainder of the test. Pressure and temperature were fixed at 765 psia and 482/sup 0/F. Gas velocity was fixed at 0.10 ft/sec over the first 250 hours and then varied, including a period at 0.17 ft/sec, the LaPorte gas velocity. Catalyst attrition and methanol productivity were similar to candidate EPJ-19LR, however, bed density variations developed after 150 hours and worsened through the run. EPJ-19LR has been selected as the LaPorte catalyst. The Lab PDU also operated in the slurry mode for the second time, a 265-hour run using a nominal 17 wt% of catalyst F50/4E75-01. The slurry loading was increased to about 27 wt % (about 18 wt % in run No. 1). Balanced and CO-rich gas were run at 515 to 1015 psia, 437 to 482/sup 0/F, and 0.04 to 0.21 ft/sec superficial gas velocity. Unlike the first run, catalyst plugging and coating problems were encountered and methanol productivity was lower than expected. In the laboratory bench-scale effort at Fairfield, two of the APCI developmental catalyst powders were screened in the 2-liter autoclave. The Cu/Zn/Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ preparation was less active than the commercial reference powders but the Cu/Zn/Boron preparation exhibited comparable productivity. In the Allentown laboratories, two 1400-hour gas-phase activity maintenance runs were accomplished with CO-rich gas at 765 psia and 437 to 482/sup 0/F.

• Research Organization: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., Allentown, PA (USA); Chem Systems, Inc., Tarrytown, NY (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC22-81PC30019
• OSTI ID: 5403329
• Report Number(s): DOE/PC/30019-T10; ON: DE84006291
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

090221* -- Alcohol Fuels-- Chemical Synthesis-- (1976-1989)
10 SYNTHETIC FUELS
ALCOHOLS
CATALYSTS
CHEMICAL PREPARATION
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COAL LIQUEFACTION
DATA
EBULLATED BED
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FLUIDS
FUNCTIONAL MODELS
GASES
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
INFORMATION
LIQUEFACTION
LIQUID PHASE METHANOL PROCESS
METHANOL
NUMERICAL DATA
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PERFORMANCE TESTING
PROCESS DEVELOPMENT UNITS
PRODUCTION
SYNTHESIS
SYNTHESIS GAS
TESTING
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES